


Outbreak

by Just2Protect



Series: The Marmora Nation [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Blood and Gore, Everyone in the Blades is related, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, No aliens/extraterrestrials, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamory, Secret Societies, Werewolf Blade of Marmora members, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:53:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27831076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Just2Protect/pseuds/Just2Protect
Summary: Keith thought his life was finally going in a normal direction. But then the world just had to go to absolute shit.ZOMBIES! You've been warned. Note: In this universe, there's no idea what a zombie is or what a werewolf is. Tags will be added as needed. Please enjoy, leave a kudos or bookmark if you like, send a comment with your thoughts, suggestions and questions!
Relationships: Alfor/Coran (Voltron), Antok/Kolivan/Original Female Character, Colleen Holt/Sam Holt, Ina Leifsdottir/Nadia Rizavi, James Griffin/Ryan Kinkade, Keith's Father/Krolia (Voltron), Keith/Shiro (Voltron), Matt Holt/Kuron, Original Female Character(s)/Original Female Character(s), Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s), Original Male Character(s)/Original Male Character(s), Regris/Original Female Character, Thace/Ulaz (Voltron)
Series: The Marmora Nation [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2036986
Kudos: 7





	Outbreak

A large calloused hand pressed against the sand for a few seconds and then nodded, determining the sand to be a cool enough temperature for the paws of the little black bundle of fur in his arms. 

“Okay buddy, time for potty,” the man said as he set the puppy down. The little pup had pointed ears, a long snout and his tail whipped around like a cat’s. He had electric blue streaks outlining his eyes like lightning bolts. His forehead, top of his snout and sides of his head also had some darker silver markings. A long trail of silver followed the line of his spine to the tip of his tail. His legs and sides also sported electric-blue markings like lightning bolts. His golden eyes looked around and he pawed at the man’s boots with a little whine. 

The man that had been holding him was tall with a square jaw, had brown hair and dark brown eyes, a thin line of a scar through his right eyebrow, a patch of skin scarred from burns up the back of his neck and over his right shoulder, and matching scars on his right forearm. 

“Come on buddy, I know you need to go potty. We’re almost home, we just don’t want you peeing in the truck, or on someone, or on the carpet when we get home. Can you just try? Come on, let’s walk a bit.” The man led the puppy a little further along the sandy roadside, there he sniffed around some before sneezing. 

“Bless you,” said another man as he walked up to the pup and scarred man. This one had pure black hair, almond shaped-eyes with grey-violet irises and pronounced smile lines on the corners of his eyes. 

“Little guy might just need to stretch a bit before he can let it all loose,” the scarred brunette stated.

“Heath, he’s a 10-week-old pup, not an old man. More than likely, he just doesn’t have to go yet. I mean I didn’t give him food before we loaded up this morning.” 

“Thanks a lot Thace, you could’ve mentioned something a little sooner. That’s probably why he’s whining at me, he wants food,” Heath huffed as he bent down and picked up the puppy again. “I’m sorry little guy. We’ll get you some food.” The little pup let out another whine as Heath’s scarred fingers gave him a little scratch under his chin that had his eyes squeezing shut and his ears flattening on his head in contentment. 

“Keith is gonna lose it when you and Krolia break the news with this little guy,” Thace chuckled as the two headed back towards the gas station where an old, grey pickup truck was parked. 

“Hopefully lose it in a good way,” Heath groaned as he climbed into the truck and set the puppy in his lap. Thace took his seat on the driver’s side and started the truck. He reached for the gear shift when the cell phone in the cup holder went off. The screen alight with the US Marine Corps seal and “Chief” across it. The phone was immediately against the black-haired man’s ear. 

“Thace.” 

_“The situation has spread to Phoenix. A military quarantine is being put into effect around the downtown area.”_

“Understood sir. Heath and I are currently out.” 

_“Get to Krolia and Keith. Immediately. Can you think of anyone else that might be significant?”_

“Uh…” Thace turned to the man beside him, twisting the phone into his shoulder. “Sounds like a situation’s happening. Should we gather anyone?” 

“Uh...Keith’s boyfriend, his brother, Matt and his family?” 

“Okay...call Keith and tell him to call Matt. Sam and Colleen are headed out of town and Katie goes to Encanto Elementary, right?” 

“That’s all correct,” Heath said with a nod. “Encanto on Osborn.” Thace nodded and returned the phone to his cheek. 

“Two brothers; Takashi ‘Shiro’ Shirogane and Katashi ‘Kuro’ Shirogane. Then there’s the Holt family that live in the Encanto neighborhood. Samuel, Colleen, Matthew and Katherine Holt. Katherine goes by Katie and Matthew goes by Matt. Sam and Colleen are currently out of town though and I don’t know exactly where they’re going. The brothers live with the Holts last I checked. The brothers and Matt are headed to college soon so they should be home. Katie though should be in school at Encanto Elementary on Osborn.” 

“I’m gonna call Krolia, tell her to expect company,” Heath said as Thace threw the truck into reverse and sped out of the gas station, back onto the road. 

_“Get a hold of this Matt. Inform him Jethro Regrisario will come by to collect his sister from school and ensure her safety.”_

“Understood sir.” 

“Hey Krolia, sweetie, how’re you feeling?” Heath asked as he turned away from Thace, trying to keep each of their conversations a little more private. The black-haired man hung up his phone and kept his eyes on the road. 

_“I’m doing alright. What’s going on?”_

“We’re getting a call from the Chief. Something’s happening, honey. I need you to call Keith’s school and call him out of class.” 

_“I...I just got a call from the office asking if everything was okay. Heath, he’s not in school right now. And if he’s not with you-”_

“He’s gotta be with Shiro. I’ll call his cell phone, I’ll figure out where he is. We’ll get home, okay?” 

_“Yea. Yea, I’ll get the spare room prepared. We’re gonna need some supplies, though, unless we all want to be moved out to Regris’ place.”_

“Between our news and the dog and this, I think that’s going to be enough change for Keith for just a little bit. So...Thace, the boys and I will handle the supplies while Regris gets Katie.” 

_“Ulaz can also get supplies. Probably more of them at that, since he’s down in Maricopa.”_

“Probably. I’ll have Thace give him a call. You get the house ready and...and try to get some rest too, okay sweetheart?” 

_“Yes. Be careful yeo-bo.”_

“I will be. I love you too honey. And I’ll see you when I get home.” 

_“Bye.”_ Heath hung up and pressed his phone against his chin as he blew a long, slow breath out of his nose. 

“Keith is so absolutely grounded when we get home.” 

“I have no doubt he will be, skipping school like that,” Thace chuckled. “But then again, you and my sister might not have much room to argue on that, considering…” The scarred man gave his brother-in-law a dark glare. 

“Just call your husband and tell him to get his ass home and get some supplies.” 

“I will in a few minutes. Gotta give the Chief time to call him and inform him. And I also heard what you said about getting supplies but, where are we gonna get them? Everyone in Phoenix is going to rush to every grocery store they can find, gas station, anything once they hear about it.” 

“We’ll figure something out.”

* * *

Agitated fingers tapped against the table as bright violet eyes scanned the slowly-moving passersby. The dark-haired teenage boy let out a sigh as he leaned back in his chair, still looking through the crowd and watching the road. He pulled his phone out of his jeans and checked the time, only to groan at the sight of the numbers. 

“That’s what I get for arriving early,” he sighed as he hung his head before he opened his messages to a group text and typed out a quick “here” that he sent off before he put his phone back on the table and watched as a grey bubble with three little dots appeared on the screen. 

‘We’ll be there in a sec. Trying to find parking.’ The teen sighed as he opened up the news app. He scrolled past the articles mentioning the oncoming Hurricane Dorian and the recent deaths of an actress and baseball player. He paused at the mention of a newly-elected Senator Griffin proposing the construction of a memorial dedicated to the last Senator to have his seat, the late Senator John McCain, and mentions of people being quarantined in Portland, Sacramento, San Diego and Los Angeles but instead of reading the articles, he closed out of the app and went to the internet. 

As the teenager scrolled through some YouTube recommendations, he didn’t notice three males coming up behind him. A pair of black-haired, silver-eyed twins -one slightly bulkier in muscle than the other- and a brunette, light-brown-eyed male that only came up to their shoulders. The twins smirked at each other and the slighter one made his way over to the unsuspecting teen on his phone. 

“What ya see?” he said quickly, jabbing his fingers into the teen’s sides. The longer-haired teen jumped, letting out a yelp of surprise, dropping his phone on the table with a clatter. He snapped around, eyes flaring as the other three burst into laughter. 

“Oh yea very funny. All three of you.” 

“Sorry Keith, temptation was too great,” the twin who’d startled him stated as he pressed a kiss to the disgruntled teen’s temple. Keith shook his head and stuffed his phone in his pocket. 

“I swear Shiro, if it weren’t for Kuro and Matt, you’d have a lot less people annoyed at you for practical jokes,” Keith huffed as the other two came over.   
“And if it weren’t for Matt and I roping you and Shiro into playing the King of Practical Jokes, you and my darling brother would’ve never hooked up,” the second twin stated as he took a seat across the table, the brunette taking the next chair and moving it to sit right up against Kuro’s arm, wrapping his arms around the beefy limb. 

“He’s got a point there,” Shiro said as he took the remaining chair. 

“Don’t side with him right now, I’m still mad at you,” Keith huffed as he slouched into his chair. 

“Oh come on Keith, it’s the last time we’re really going to be able to hang out before the three of us head to college. Let’s not waste valuable time together being angry at each other,” Matt said, earning a sigh and a shrug from Keith before he leaned over and kissed Shiro’s cheek. 

“You’re still gonna get hell for that, the next chance I get,” he whispered into his boyfriend’s ear, earning a chuckle. 

“So, should we hurry up and order? Because I am starving,” Kuro said, clapping his hands and rubbing them together. 

“And here I thought we were loitering with no intention of spending money here,” Keith said, rolling his eyes as Kuro grabbed the menu. 

“So how’s the college hunt going, Keith?” Matt asked. 

“Senior year only just started, must I really jump on this college hunt already?” 

“Well, early acceptance is in December. If you find a place you want to attend-”

“Georgia Institute of Technology is perfectly fine to attend,” Keith stated with finality. Matt grabbed another menu and opened it up to the middle. 

“You can’t make your decision based on where I’m going,” Shiro argued. 

“Georgia is perfectly fine, can we not get into this now?” 

“You guys ready to order?” asked a waitress as she stepped forward, pulling out her notepad. 

“We’re gonna have two separate checks,” Matt stated. 

“Okay.” 

“I’ll have a double order of the breakfast platter. Pancakes for both, bacon and sausage as sides for both, toast and eggs over medium for both, a fruit cup, orange juice and a water for me,” Kuro stated as he folded up the menu and put it away. 

“Okay, so two breakfast platters, one extra side for each so they each have bacon and sausage, toast and eggs for both, and a cup of a fruit, glass of orange juice and a water, all for you?” the waitress asked, eyebrows rising into her bangs.

“He’s put away more than that in a single meal before,” Shiro stated. 

“Alright then. And for you?” she asked to Matt. The brunette hrmed and hawed for a second before nodding to himself. 

“Fruit salad and...is your ice cream machine working?” 

“Yes.” 

“Then a large chocolate shake please.” 

“Okay. And for you?” the waitress asked, turning towards Keith. 

“Just a plain croissant and a water, please.” 

“Nice and simple and for you honey?” she asked Shiro, who gave her a warm smile. 

“I’ll have just one breakfast platter, chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, over medium eggs and multi-grain toast with an orange juice please. And I’m sorry I don’t think I caught your name.” 

“It’s Amanda,” she giggled, a rosy color appearing on her cheeks. 

“Thank you Amanda.” The waitress chuckled as she walked away, and Shiro turned back to Keith. “Well then when will we talk about it? Keith, just because I’m going to Georgia, doesn’t mean you have to as well. Aside from that, I’m going there for Areospace. You have stated you want a degree in something hands-on. Physical Education or engineering might be better options for you. Engineering, Matt and Sam can seriously help you with.” 

“I’m not good with numbers, Shiro, you know that. But in all seriousness, no job really cares what your degree is in. In the end, your college degree shows that you can turn your work in on time, you can work unsupervised, and you can prioritize. That’s literally it. Because how many times in work are you actually going to use what they teach in those classes?” 

“Plenty if you continue your education and have a job directly connected to your field. You need to stop reading whatever sources are telling you that college isn’t essential.” 

“There’s plenty of people who’ve lived successful lives without even a day of college.” 

“Keith, most of those people are cases of survivor’s bias. That’s like taking financial advice from someone who won the lottery. The reason you don’t hear about those who haven’t had success because they didn’t go to college, is because they’re not successful. They’re struggling and have no time to warn people to not follow in their footsteps.” 

“Can we not have this discussion right now?” Kuro spoke up. “If you two want to bicker like an old married couple, save it for when you’re in your own domicile. So that those of us who’re trying to have a pleasant morning can enjoy it.” 

“We’re not even engaged yet, how do we argue like a married couple?” Keith sighed as he sat back in his chair. “On the matter of colleges, what’re the plans for moving across the country?” 

“Well, Kuro and I are getting access to my grandmother’s cottage a couple hours away from our schools. So my parents are sending our stuff there and we’ll be living there while we take our courses.”

“I’ll just be packing two bags and my carry-on and getting everything else in Georgia,” Shiro stated plainly. 

“You don’t have to. So maybe I could-”

“Keith, you need to stay focused on getting ready for senior year. It’s gonna be tough.” 

“No amount of prep is going to keep me ahead of everything. By the time the end of the semester rolls around no one’s gonna be ahead and it’s not going to matter. We’ll either have our schools picked out and deposits paid or have dropped out.” 

Before Shiro could retort, Amanda came back with their drinks. 

“Okay, chocolate shake, water and orange juice, just plain water, and one orange juice.” The food should only take a few more minutes.”

“Take all the time you need,” Shiro assured. Amanda tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as she scampered off to tend to her other tables. 

“She thinks you’re flirting,” Keith whispered in Shiro’s ear, his fingers sneaking their way up Shiro’s leg, making the older male stiffen in his seat. 

“I’m just trying to be polite,” he insisted. 

“That may be,” Keith chuckled, leaning closer and starting to nibble on his boyfriend’s ear. “But I promised you hell for scaring me earlier. Welcome to hell.” Shiro bit his lip and shivered.   
“May I remind you two that we’re in public?” Kuro groaned. 

“Not after the number of times I have had to tell you,” Shiro said breathily. 

“We’re not that bad,” Matt pouted, the tips of his ears going red as he started tugging on Kuro’s sleeve, toying with a loose string. 

“Yea, you are,” both Shiro and Keith said at once, nodding. Matt grabbed his shake and took a long sip. 

“Okay so maybe we have a lot of physical contact but it’s not like we’re screwing in public,” Kuro said with a shrug, resulting in another long drag of milkshake from Matt as his ears continued to redden. 

“I dunno. I have a few times where you two vanished into seemingly thin air, in a public setting,” Shiro stated. 

“I always told you where I’d been when you asked me, the next time I saw you. And I was completely straight with you every time,” Kuro stated. 

“Can we change the subject?” Matt asked, although the twins continued smirking at each other. Keith’s phone started to ring and his eyes widened when he saw “Pops” across his screen. 

“What is it?” Shiro asked. 

“It’s my dad,” Keith muttered as he switched his phone to silent and waited until the call screen disappeared. 

“Yea, you’re supposed to be in school!’ the slighter of the twins hissed. Keith turned his phone over.

“Let’s just get back to what we were talking about with Kuro vanishing on a whim.” Shiro shot a slight glare at his boyfriend but turned to his brother. 

“So every time you disappeared, you were straight with me?” 

“Every single time.” Keith scoffed and shook his head. 

“You mean that time that you drove me to the store to get Shiro’s birthday present, you told him you were taking me to get his birthday present when he asked you?” the long-haired teen asked. 

“Not when he asked me right after the fact. I came clean about it after you two had your special celebration,” the larger of the twins stated. 

“So you’re saying that when you’re lying to me, or to Keith, or anyone for that matter, you’re gonna rectify it after the fact?” his brother asked. 

“Yes, especially with important stuff. I cherish the relationships I have and I don’t want that tainted by lying about where I was at a certain point.” 

“What are you guys talking about?” Matt asked, turning his head between the three others. 

“We’re talking about when I told you I was taking a museum tour with Shiro last week,” Kuro stated as he turned towards Matt, who put his shake down. 

“That was a date between Keith and I,” Shiro added. 

“I was actually with your parents, discussing something very important,” Kuro finished, taking his boyfriend’s left hand into his grip. 

“What?” 

“Here we go,” Keith whispered to his boyfriend as Kuro slipped out of his chair, kneeling down on one knee and holding up a gold band. Matt covered a gasp as tears appeared in his eyes. 

“Matthew Samuel Holt, you’ve been my best friend, my guiding light and my partner in crime for so long. You’ve had my back through the good and the bad and I couldn’t imagine my life without you. So will you please marry me?” 

“Yes!” Matt sobbed, nodding his head as tears ran down his cheeks. “Yes, yes, please yes!” Kuro slipped the ring onto Matt’s finger before scooping the brunette into his arms and landing a kiss on his lips. The entire street broke into applause and whoops and even a few cheers of ‘congratulations!’ rang out from the passersby. 

Kuro sat himself down, setting Matt in his lap and landing another kiss on his lover’s lips as the brunette wiped at his tears. 

Keith reached over and gently gripped Shiro’s hand, earning a soft smile from the other. The two black-haired teens kissed and Keith moved his chair closer to his boyfriend, ignoring as his phone lit up again. 

It took a few more minutes but Amanda came over with another waiter, both trays laden with food. Keith’s eyes narrowed at Amanda as he noticed an extra napkin slipped under Shiro’s plate, numbers written in pen, and slipped the dish towards the tall teen. Shiro smiled and thanked Amanda before she left, and once she was out of sight, Shiro crumpled up the napkin with the number and tossed it into the middle of the table. 

“Sorry about that, babe,” the taller teen said before he pulled Keith’s hand over and kissed the back of it as he laced their fingers together. 

“Not your fault,” Keith stated with a shrug as he took a bite of his croissant. 

“Wait, what are we going to do about school?!” Matt cried, drawing the attention of the conversation. 

“You just said you’ve got your grandmother’s cottage. Plus there’s video chats,” Shiro assured. “Plus I’m sure your mom is going to have a completed schedule that factors in visits, eating, wedding planning, house hunting, job searching, studying and sleeping in a binder for the both of you before the day is out.” 

“Yea, if she wasn’t headed out of town with Dad. Something about some interview for Dad.” 

“We’ll get everything figured out Matty,” Kuro said before he kissed his fiancee’s cheek and began to dig into his food. 

Matt and Kuro dictated most of the conversation after that, mostly talking about various future plans while Shiro and Keith ate their food in silence, still pointedly ignoring Keith’s phone every time it lit up.

* * *

Bright blue eyes looked around the airport lobby before their owner leaned back slightly on the handle of the silver luggage case behind him. The man wore a blue button-down shirt under a black suit jacket and slacks and shiny black shoes. His face was mostly clean-shaven save for the impressive mustache on his upper lip. A young woman walked up to his side with a pink suitcase in hand. She had beautiful mocha-brown skin, bright blue eyes, a little button of a nose, and long, silvery hair that was pulled back into a low ponytail. Around her neck was a rose-gold heart-shaped locket with a piece of pink quartz at the bottom. 

“All set Papa?” she asked, a strong English accent coloring her words. 

“Nearly, Allura. I just can’t seem to find the driver,” the man said, drawing a couple looks with his own accent, as he gave another glance over at the people walking around the airport. 

“Well, Father assured us that there would be one. Perhaps they’re outside?” 

“Perhaps. You all set then?” 

“Raring to go!” The redheaded man smiled before pulling his daughter into a hug and kissing her hairline, gently leading her outside. 

The street from departures was packed; buses, vans, taxis, family cars. All a sea of red lights and turn signals. The two stopped and surveyed the scene, the man twirling his mustache as he thought. 

“Odd. Perhaps he’s running late?” Allura turned towards the sound of a closing door and saw a tall man with dark skin hold up a sign reading “Coran and Allura Altea.” 

“There he is,” she said, indicating with a nod of her head before taking Coran’s hand and leading him towards the driver, who was standing in front of a limousine. The man had a slim nose, brown eyes that almost looked black and a narrow jaw. 

“Mr. and Ms. Altea, correct?” Coran nodded as the driver took off his hat, revealing a shaved head. 

“My name is Ulaz Kogane, I’ll be your driver today. May I take your luggage for you?” he asked as he opened the backseat door. 

“Yes, thank you,” Coran said as he and Allura slipped into the backseat. Ulaz quickly shut the door behind them and loaded their luggage into the trunk before he sat down in the driver’s seat. “Your father’s always been good at spoiling us.” Ulaz glanced over his shoulder at the two before he started the car and quickly left the departure lane. 

“Excuse me Ulaz, but I find myself quite curious, where does that name come from? I’ve never heard it before,” Allura asked once they were on the road. 

“It’s an older name, so I would be surprised if you’d ever heard of it before. It roughly translates to ‘One with Medicine’, such as a doctor.” 

“Oh fascinating!” 

“And Allura...now that’s not a name often heard either, but given how it sounds similar to the English word of allure meaning ‘to entice by charm or attraction’, and the name Aurora, which is Latin meaning ‘dawn’, I would say that it sounds like your name would mean ‘to entice by charm or attraction of the dawn’, was that your intention when you named her, Mr. Altea?” 

“I do remember my husband and I talking about giving our daughter a unique name when she was born. But I’m afraid for most of the time post-birth, my memories of anything aside from being with Allura are fairly muddled. It was her other father who did the naming after she came out of me.” 

“Well if anything from what I’ve read is any indication, you two raised an incredible young woman.” Ulaz felt his phone start to vibrate in his jacket pocket just before the little ding went off. “Please excuse me,” he said as he pulled out the device and blinked at the ‘Chief’ across the screen. “Yes sir?” 

_“The situation’s getting out of hand. Cases in Phoenix have sprung up and Downtown is about to be under military quarantine.”_

“Where exactly downtown?” 

_“19th and McDowel to 7th South and Buckeye. The entire area is being sectioned off. You need to get home and await further instructions.”_

“I have charges with me, sir.” 

_“Then it’s the Divine’s will that they be at least offered the chance. The airport is going to be shut down within a few minutes. No flights leaving or entering. Tell them what we know so far, you have my authority to do so.”_

“Yes sir.” Ulaz hung up and gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. “Mr. and Ms. Altea. I’m afraid I have some bad news. Downtown Phoenix is being sectioned off by military personnel and the airport is about to be shut down. It would seem that there’s a viral outbreak spreading through the city. I have been ordered to return home as soon as I can.” 

“Ordered? By whom?” Allura asked. 

“And if you’re going home, where does that leave us?” Coran asked. 

“I must ask that you both hear me out entirely and not interrupt. I was ordered by the leader of a race of people that I, my husband and family are a part of, have been for generations. Thousands of years we’ve been working in secret to do our best to guide humanity towards a better future. And now the leader of that race has ordered me to return home. But he has also given me permission to tell you both about this and offer you the chance to come into the fold of our people. I can’t promise it wouldn’t be dangerous, my Leader wouldn’t have given me permission if it weren’t something that seems like it will just blow over. But I will not force either of you to join if you do not want to. I will see you to a safe place if you choose to decline, though.” Coran and Allura exchanged looks before the man turned to the driver again. 

“What happens to Alfor if we join you? What happens to my husband?” 

“He’d be given the option to come into the fold as well. But if he chose not to, you would have to sever communication with him. We’re a secret race of people and there’s a reason we have remained a secret.” 

“Papa.” Coran turned to his daughter as her hands started to fidget with the edge of her suit jacket. “I think we both know Father well enough to know he’d follow you through hell itself. But, and I know this sounds completely mad, but I think we should do it. It...it feels right.” 

“Allura, your father helped me get my life together when it was in the gutter, he helped me through the pregnancy and hormonal therapies and if it weren’t for him, I don’t know where I’d be right now. How can I take the chance of turning my back on him?” 

“You wouldn’t turn your back on him. And he would leap at any chance he had of being with you if you were separated. And if he doesn’t then he’s not the father I grew up knowing.” 

“Allura.” 

“Papa, you said that the night you met Father, it felt as though something were pulling you to him. As if it was fate. And now...this situation is happening...and it sounds like it will become dangerous. But we’re being offered the chance to at least join numbers, maybe even be safe. And somehow it just feels right to do it.” Coran was silent as he looked between his daughter and the driver for a few moments, before running his hands through his hair. 

“We’ll do it. We’ll join you.” Ulaz nodded. 

“Divine be praised then. I’ll take you to my home. But we might need to pick up some supplies on the way.”

* * *

Pale hazel-green eyes scanned the roads as a silver SUV came to a stop at a sign. The driver, a black-haired man with a growing-in full beard, straight nose, thick eyebrows and tanned skin, glanced over his shoulder at the box of little white, gold, and black chicks sitting on the only upright seat in the back, and the rest of the SUV was entirely filled with groceries and a few sacks of feed were on the floor.

The man’s cell phone, tucked in the cupholder on the console, began to ring. The man immediately picked up the device and checked the screen, the word “Chief” stretched over a picture of another, older man with a dark shadow of hair under the Marine cover on his head, a similar straight nose to the driver and tanned skin, only marred by the long, pale scar running from his forehead, over his eye, to the corner of his lip. The driver’s thumb swiped across the screen to accept the call. 

“Regris,” he said.

_“The situation’s getting out of hand. Cases in Phoenix have sprung up and Downtown is about to be under military quarantine.”_

“The same thing as what’s been seen in Washington and California?” 

_“Yes. You’re to get to Encanto Elementary school on Osborn and pick up one Katherine ‘Katie’ Holt, daughter of Samuel and Colleen Holt. Her family are considered high priority to your cousin and her husband and son. Understood?“_

“Understood, Uncle Kolivan, but I’m first getting to my family and getting them to safety. Allison and Abby had court today.” 

_“Regris, don’t-”_ Regris hit the disconnect button and tossed his phone into the passenger seat, only for it to bounce against the seat and slip between the seat and the door. No sooner had it landed that it began to ring again, this time showing the name “Allison” over the screen. 

“Gah, freak,” he hissed as he quickly turned onto the next street. “At least now I know they’re not in court anymore.” With that, he pressed on the accelerator and turned onto the next street, headed for the Phoenix Municipal Courthouse.

* * *

“-and did you see his face when the jury delivered their verdict? I swear I’m going to remember that face for the rest of my life! Oh just wait until Jiffy hears about this!” 

A pair of women made their way down the steps of the Phoenix court. One had black hair straightened down her back, deep brown eyes and a straight line to her nose, both of which were accentuated by the glasses she wore. She was dressed in a deep navy suit jacket and matching skirt, white button-down and black flats, and her lips were painted a rich, bright red, all of which complemented her golden tan skin.

The other woman had brown hair pulled into a severe bun, dark blue eyes, pale skin, was dressed in a black suit and navy shirt and in her hand was a black briefcase. She wore a simple pair of dark-purple stud earrings, a silver chain around her neck that held a long crystal of the same color and on her left hand was a simple gold wedding ring with a princess-cut diamond.

“Like I said Abby, just tell them the truth and leave the rest to me.” The raven-haired woman wrapped her arms around the smaller and squeezed. 

“You’re the best sister ever Allison!” she cheered, earning a chuckle from the brunette. 

“High praise. Now can you let me breathe so I can call your brother?” Abby giggled before pulling away, allowing Allison to pull out her phone and make the call. 

_Brrr!_ Allison took in a breath, ready to hear her husband’s voice.

 _Brrr!_ The brunette raised an eyebrow. 

_Brrr!_ A noise of confusion slipped from her throat. 

_“Hi you’ve reached-”_ Allison pulled the phone away, looking at the screen as if it was a puzzle she was trying to solve. 

“Is everything okay?” 

“It’s unusual for your brother to not pick up his phone.” Abby blinked owlishly. “I’m gonna try again. Maybe he just couldn’t get it out of his pocket or something.” 

Another series of rings before the voicemail message started again, and Allison pulled her phone away before putting it back to her ear just in time to hear the beep. 

“Yes, hey, Jethro. First of all, if I find out you tinkered with your phone again, I’m gonna lose it. Second off, Abby and I won our case and we’re now standing outside the courthouse, dressed in dark colors, in August, in Phoenix. So if you could get here, preferably before your sister and I have a heat stroke, that would be fantastic.” With that, the brunette hung up. 

“You don’t really think he tinkered with his phone again, do you?” 

“If he had nothing else to occupy his hands with, I don’t doubt it.” Abby squeezed her lips together, trying and slowly failing to hold in a bout of giggles. Allison shot her a look and then shook her head. “Don’t say it.”

“Say what?” Abby managed as her shoulders shook with her laughter. 

“Any form of reference to your brother jacking off while waiting for us.” Abby’s laughter died immediately. 

“I wasn’t...No! No, Jiffy would never! UGH! Why did you put that imagery in my head?!” the raven-haired woman cried, digging her fingers into her hair before she started rapping her knuckles against her skull. Allison’s lip curled as she allowed herself a huff of a chuckle. “I need that imagery gone! Gone, now!” Abby cried. “I was gonna say he had the car! He could’ve tinkered with that!” Allison’s smirk vanished. 

“That would be even worse than tinkering with his phone.” The lawyer held her thumb over the call button again when a silver SUV pulled up next to the sidewalk and Regris all but leapt out of the car. 

“Jiffy!’ Abby cried as she hurried over and threw her arms around the man. 

“Hey Abs, you seem happy,” Regris said with a forced smile on his face. Allison’s eyebrows drew together as she neared the two. 

“Jethro, what’s going on? Tell me you weren’t tinkering with your phone again.” 

“I wasn’t, I just tossed it and it slipped between the door and the seat. Speaking of.” Abby released her big brother and he opened the door, grabbing his cell phone and tucking it into the pocket of his jeans and then moving around to the back and shoving the groceries to get at the panel under the floor mat. Under the panel were jumper cables, a toolbox, insulated gloves, a backpack, a few metal water bottles, and a selection of knives. “I tossed it because I got a call from my uncle. You both need to get home now. Something’s going on in the downtown Phoenix area and I don’t want either of you caught up in it. I’ll give you a call once I know more.” With that, Regris grabbed the backpack and checked inside where there was a length of rope, a blue tarp and a few small packages of food. 

“And where will you be going?” Allison asked. 

“There’s a kid that needs picked up from school, high-priority. I’ll come home as soon as I can but in the meantime just go straight home.” Abby nodded and all but leapt into the driver’s seat, squealing upon sighting the baby chicks. Allison ran a hand up and down her husband’s arm as he stuffed some tools from the toolbox, the gloves, a few of the bottles into the backpack and took a knife from the selection, strapping it to his thigh. 

“Where’s the kid?” 

“Encanto Elementary,” Regris replied as he walked over to the passenger side door and pulled two guns out of the glove compartment and secured one holster to his hip and the other to his ankle. 

“That’s almost four miles. How are you going to get from here to Encanto without a car? We can come with you.” 

“No, you can’t. I won’t be able to focus with you two so close to danger. So please, go home and stay put. I’ll be there as quick as I possibly can, I swear to you. I’ll even call you whenever I can, okay?” The brunette scowled and put her hands on her hips. 

“No it’s not okay. It’s a hundred degrees out here, Jethro. It’s four miles in Phoenix, Arizona, in an area that’s apparently becoming dangerous, and let’s not even get started on your bone density or how you run hotter than humans-”

“Allison, please,” the black-haired man implored. “I swear, I will call you at every stop I make, keep you updated every step of the way, I will freaking put a microchip tracker in my neck if that’s what you want, just please. Go with Abby, go home, warn Tony, Trevor and Joshua, get ready to stay put for a bit. Just please, get yourselves out of Phoenix.” 

“You need to get out too!” Allison stated, grabbing a hold of her husband’s arms. 

“I have water, and I’m a retired Marine, if there’s a military lockdown, I can navigate it. I’ll even call my uncle again, tell him I’m coming and I need a car.” Allison pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a long sigh before locking eyes with her husband again. 

“You’ll call me when you arrive somewhere and before you leave.” 

“I promise I will. I’ll also call you when I have a car.” Allison’s eyes softened as she reached up and combed her fingers through his hair and traced down the line of his jaw. 

“I heard Abby’s squealing in the car, are those animals for meat or breeding?” 

“I’ll sort them out when I get home,” he assured with a chuckle, pulling a dry one from his wife. 

“That’s not the only thing you’ll be sorting out,” she said with a smirk. Regris gripped Allison’s face and stared right into her blue eyes. 

“I love you, ville ver anni.” Allison gripped his shirt and took a deep breath before moving towards the car. Regris pushed her up against the car and pressed a kiss to her lips, her red lipstick smearing over his lips as their arms wrapped around each other. The kiss only lasted a mere moment before the Marine pulled back and pressed his forehead to his wife’s. 

“I love you too,” she choked out in a trembling voice. His arms tightened around her. 

“I’ll come home. I promise.” 

“You’d damn well better, kazga ver anni,” she whispered as he opened the door, gently pushed her into her seat and shut the door again. Abby waved from her seat before the car began to move. 

Reg watched the car until it vanished from sight. He let out a long sigh before he adjusted the backpack on his shoulders and turned North, taking off at a brisk pace towards Encanto Elementary. 

Abby checked her mirrors and sighed as she saw her brother’s retreating form. 

“Think we’re being stupid, going home without him?” 

“Yes. Absolutely. Going home, with practically nothing, when he’s been ordered to go get a high-priority person? Definitely stupid.” Allison twisted in her seat and looked at the full car behind her. 

“You call that nothing?” 

“I call that, the groceries. We need some real supplies. What’s the address of that place you and Jiffy were talking about getting goats, rabbits and chickens from again?” 

“You mean Ed’s farm? That’s all the way in Apache Junction. Your brother told us to head for home.” 

“And we will, once we get these animals. Think of it this way, you and Jiffy were already talking about doing this anyway, right? So if we go and pick up the animals you guys were thinking of buying, that’s just one less thing to worry about, right?” 

“It was kinda something we wanted to do together, as a couple.” 

“Yea well, if this thing is so bad that he’s being sent to retrieve a kid I’ve never heard of in all our family, then the option of just doing it as a couple is kinda going out the window. But hey, maybe I can pick up some extra animals and you two can make your own little line separate from mine.” Allison chuckled and shook her head. 

Her stomach rolled and her hand shot to her mouth as her other hand gripped the handle on the ceiling. 

“Allison?!” The attorney held up a finger as she forced herself to swallow a few times. 

“I’m okay. Just...I’m fine just some final nerves from the appeal is all.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes, I am sure,” Allison said as she released her white-knuckle grip on the handle. Abby spared a half-second glance at the woman before keeping her attention firmly on the road. Allison ran her thumb over the smooth side of her wedding ring, took a deep breath and silently gave a small prayer for her husband’s safety.

* * *

_“Attention students, a citywide quarantine has been issued. We’ve contacted your parents for pickup so please follow your teachers to the gymnasium to wait for your parents.”_

A young brunette girl with green eyes sighed as she heard the announcement be repeated in Spanish and her teacher, a young man with an athletic build, a golden hue to his skin, black hair, doe-brown eyes and a bit of a growing-in goatee, turned from the board and clapped his hands. 

“Alright everyone, let’s get moving,” he said. “Remember to stick together and stay with the group. When you get called by the office, you can go to your lockers and get your things.” 

“Uh, Mr. Ramirez, my house is within walking distance, can’t I just walk home?” the brunette girl asked with a raised hand. 

“I’m afraid not Katie. It’s just for safety.”

“But my parents are out of town,” Katie pressed. 

“Then we’ll find another relative, or you can interact with your classmates until it’s time to go.” With another sigh, Katie pushed herself up and started heading towards the door, only for a blonde girl to stick her foot out and trip the brunette. 

“Oops! Sorry Kate,” the blonde said, her words practically dripping with falsehood as her two friends giggled. 

“It’s Katie,” the brunette hissed as she pushed herself up and wiped her hands on her pants before following the group out of the room. Katie stayed close to the lockers and upon reaching her own, quickly put in the combination and grabbed her jacket and cell phone. She tucked the device into her pocket and followed the sea of students headed into the gym. 

The entire gym was awash in noise as little cliques clumped together. Katie sat by herself with her notebook from class and began to jot down random little thoughts as they came to her head. She could hear a group of girls giggling nearby and she shifted a little closer to the edge of the bench, up against the wall.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's all I have at the moment, really. Please leave a comment with your thoughts, suggestions, and questions. Uh...yea. That's really all I've got for you so far. Hope you enjoyed and if you don't hear from me again before, happy and safe holidays.


End file.
